Happy Friday, everyone. While we had a shorter week this week, a lot has gone on in Middle School.

Two of students’ favorite periods in the rotation are Community Service and Electives. Both began this week, and students embraced it all. Going into different classroom environments and forming connections with younger students are two of the most beautiful aspects of being in a Toddler-8th grade school. It teaches patience, empathy, and responsibility. Middle school students spent a day “training” for their community service work by going through scenarios they could encounter as well as finding solutions to challenges they were nervous about. We talked about being proactive, taking initiative, and a being quiet observer when necessary. It was a successful first day in the classrooms. The pictures speak for themselves.

First trimester electives were presented to students and chosen. Mrs. Hudak will lead Brain Games, Mr. Brown is advising Fantasy Football, and I am leading Cooking Class. There is much anticipation for the next meeting!

In math classes this week, 6th years used a number line on the whiteboard to figure out the location of various numbers and ordered numbers on our human number line on the carpet of our classroom.  7th years solved word problems involving order of operations together.  Which will come first- exponents or addition?

Humanities classes all began with Word Wisdom units and new books. In 6th, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper focuses on being compassionate, empathetic, and non judgmental. This unit on empathy and compassion is a perfect way to start our three years together. We continually link history and current events with the effects on people, past and present. In 7th, we began our unit on Dystopian Society with the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. Do we all strive to live in Utopian communities or a Utopian world? What would it take? In 8th year humanities class, we began Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror and began studying the Master Narrative. We also defined freedom, looking at the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence.

It has been an eventful week in Middle School! Check out what we’ve been up to!

In Science, 6th year students began their unit on Mapping Earth’s Surface. Students will learn how to read a topographic map in addition to other geographic features/maps of Earth. 7th years have been working on defining and illustrating the similarities between atoms, elements and compounds. Mass, volume and density will follow. 8th years are covering Earth as a System. Within this chapter, students will learn what makes Earth a unique planet, the energy in Earth’s system, and ecology. Students will complete the lab,  Testing the Conservation of Mass as part of their chapter.

We are having a wonderful start to the 2018-2019 school year! It has been great to welcome the 6th years into our middle school community as well as 3 new students to FWM. As we get back into the swing of things and 6th years adjust to the new schedule, we have had the opportunity to connect as a new, big group as well as in our smaller advisory groups.

This year, we are using the Responsive Advisory curriculum to guide our mornings. The activities help students form relationships and work on the social emotional components of being an adolescent and working with others both in and out of school.

With only one more week of classes, the middle school is working hard to complete units and put forth their best effort, despite the feeling that summer is near.

This week in Math, students worked on identifying which stocks have the most potential to bring in the highest gains.  They were excited to see that out of 83 participants throughout Fairfield County, Fraser Woods students held 6 of the top 10 positions! Incredible!

In Science, 6th year students were finishing their geologic timeline projects. Students created casts and molds of fossils found within a specific period and era. Next, 7th years were busy constructing their model rockets to be launched next week (weather pending). They also had the opportunity to make their own ice cream. Finally, 8th years finished their unit on the ocean basin.

In Humanities, 6th year students were working to finish their novel, Shooting Kabul. They studied the religion of Islam as well as the unfortunate effect of the Taliban on Afghanistan and the Muslim community as well as effect on perception of Muslims in the world. 7th years will be finishing Animal Farm this weekend. This week’s classes were full of exciting discussion about the historical context of the novel- the Soviet Union post-1917 revolution. Finally, 8th years are almost finished composing their graduation speeches and continued their study of To Kill A Mockingbird.

We are excited for Spirit Week next week! Please refer to the email sent on Thursday afternoon for all of the details!

There are mixed emotions running their course throughout the middle school this week: laughter, tears, elation about the summer break, sadness over friends graduating, and nervousness over inevitable new beginnings. Graduation rehearsal really made this hit home on Thursday.

This week, ends were tied in all of the classes and fun was had. Some highlights were the rockets in 7th year and reaching the end of our novels in Humanities classes. Spirit Week, including Water Day, was a big hit!

It has been a pleasure to teach your children and reflect about them each week. Looking back at past blog posts, it is amazing to see all the wonderful experiences they have encountered this year. All of the middle school teachers have loved this group and we couldn’t imagine having more fun while teaching. They truly make our jobs a pleasure. We will miss each and every student this summer and look forward to meeting again in the fall.

Where to begin with a summary of a jam-packed week…. We were lucky that the resort was a short 2 1/2 hour drive. This allowed us almost a full day of activities on Monday after arrival.

The houses were perfectly situated on a cul-de-sac at the edge of the resort’s property. They were impressive and surrounded by forest. Some of us even spotted a beautiful black bear the first afternoon!

We were lucky to have generous amounts of water and snacks to keep us going; although, Woodloch Pines definitely made sure no one was hungry! Each meal was multi-course and provided great variety, served like a restaurant. Some of us even feasted on oysters and king crab legs one night!

Each morning we were given all of the day’s activities and events. We were also lucky to have 4 adult chaperones, so there were times when we could offer as many as 4 options for a time period to hit on everyone’s interests. Below is a list of some of the activities we participated in:

rock climbing

escape room

go carts

ice skating

bingo

karaoke

paddle boating

mini golf

volleyball

soccer

tennis

zip line

comedy shows

dance party

People’s Court

trivia

swimming & water slide

Like Mr. Robertson stated in his email, we received multiple compliments on our group. Their enthusiasm for the activities and participation in the shows were noticed as well as their gracious manners and respectful behavior. We couldn’t be more proud to travel with this group of young adults!

The bonding experience for the students was, in my opinion, the best part of the trip. Being able to witness students be comfortable with their peers and with themselves as they navigated a new place, away from home, for four days is unique and impressive. Some even took healthy risks and challenged themselves to new activities.

This was, by far, one of the many highlights of the school year. We are already generating ideas for next year!

Thank you, again, for your patience yesterday as we dealt with a medical emergency and unforeseeable traffic with the middle school students during our travel that caused lateness. We had all hands on deck and made sure each of your children was physically and emotionally taken care of.

Congratulations to the 8th years on the completion of their outstanding Expert Projects! The students have been working rigorously for the past 5 months to become an expert on the topic of their choosing. On the evening of May 18th, they shared their expertise with the whole community.

One of the highlights of the 8th-grade year at Fraser Woods Montessori School is the Expert Project. This long-term research project requires dedication and organization, patience and hard work. The process begins with each student preparing proposal for their research. The students conduct research, read through their sources, and organize their information. The 8th year students reach out to experts in their fields of research, interview them and incorporate what they learn into their project. This project concludes with the Expert Night Presentations, a formal public presentation for the FWM community.

This year’s topics are Forensic Science, Obstacles in the World of Professional Dance, Neuroplasticity of the Brain, the Science of Laughter, the Creative Side of Album Production, Homeopathy, Social Justice in Sports.

The students were poised and their presentations were thoughtful and informative. We are so proud of their diligence and effort and feel grateful to have Mrs. Lamb who wholly supported them throughout the whole process.

The middle school has caught spring fever! Recess and electives this week have been especially glorious with the recent weather. It is evident that the kids are excited about being outside and their upcoming trip! Despite their rejuvenated energy, middle school students had a full week of academics.

In math, the 6th years started exploring geometry while the 7th years are solving systems of equations in a variety of ways.  The 8th years are looking at different ways to represent data.

During science classes, 6th years investigated the electromagnetic spectrum using prisms to depict light rays. The 7th years worked on their electricity unit. Students created a Versorium, an electroscope that gauges static electricity, to test what charge aluminum foil and paper carried. 8th years modeled the formation of mountain folds caused by the continuous movement of tectonic plates.

In humanities, 6th years learned about the history of Kabul, Afghanistan and about their current culture as they began the novel, Shooting Kabul. 7th years studied capitalism, socialism, and communism as well as important figures in Russian history during the first half of the 20th century in preparation for the beginning of Animal Farm. They are having fun identifying which historical events and figures are represented as animals in the novel. 8th years continued with To Kill A Mockingbird while revising their research papers and having run-throughs of their upcoming expert presentations.

Have a glorious weekend. We can’t wait to see you next Friday, May 18th at 6:30 p.m. for 8th year Expert Night!